Samantha Kibel

ENGL 478 Unit Plan

So B. It

Unit Plan for Eighth Grade Classroom

Day 1: Introduction to So B. It

• Students will:

– Write in Journals: “What I know about my parents, family, history, etc?”

– Go over first vocabulary words: agoraphobia, diversity, handicapped

– Ask students if they have any fears (phobias) and what they think they could do to overcome them.

– Read first two chapters (“Heidi” and “Dette”) aloud.

– Discuss ways in which Heidi, Bernie, and So B. It represent diversity.

Objectives:– Students relate vocabulary words to their lives for permanent understanding of

words.– Students expand their vocabulary (KSDE)– Students read fluently (KSDE)– Students come to understand the meaning of diversity and differences. – The students recognize bias and stereotypes in various types of appropriate-level

texts. (KSDE)

Lesson 2: Diversity

• Students will:

– Review what diversity means

– Write in journals: “We discussed diversity with our characters in our last class. How do you think that you or your classmates represent what it means to be diverse?”

– Discuss journals and ways in which students are different from one another.

– Read chapters 3 and 4 aloud and discuss.

– Sample diverse foods or candies while listening to different types of music that students brought.

Objectives:

– Students will learn to see or explain differences in a positive aspect rather than negative. We all possess diverse characteristics.

– Students will read fluently (KSDE)

– The students adjust reading rate to support comprehension when reading. (KSDE)

– Stduents read and comprehend text across curriculum. (KSDE)

Lesson 3: Chapter 8 “More” and 9 “Back Soon”

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “What do you think about travelling across the country alone at your age?” or “Have you ever travelled a long distance by yourself?”

– Go over vocabulary words: acronym, livid, reluctant.

– Give examples of acronyms students may know and acronyms used in the book. Ask students for any that they may know. Ask students if they have ever been “livid” or “reluctant”.

– Watch reader’s theatre video on Sarah Weeks’s web site and share students’ reactions.

Objectives:– Students will relate vocabulary to their lives and prior knowledge for permanent

retention.– Students will expand vocabulary (KSDE). – Students will learn that reading aloud can be fun and interesting. – Students will see that books can come and be visual alive before they are made

into motion pictures.

Lesson 4: Chapter 11 “Good”

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “Who takes care of your when your are sick? Is there anything special they do for you?”

– Go over discussion questions (handed out in previous class) relevant to what we have read so far.

– Read aloud selections from book where answers to Q’s are found as way of review.

– Go over Essay Assignment. Choose one journal entry to turn into a five paragraph essay.

Objectives:– Students will review material and display understanding. – Students comprehend texts and display comprehension through discussion.

(KSDE)– Teacher makes sure that students know what is happening in the book. – The student identifies the topic, main idea(s), supporting details, and theme(s) in

text across the content areas and from a variety of sources in appropriate-level texts. (KSDE)

Lesson 5: Quiz Day

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “Is there someone in your life(a teacher, parent, sibling, etc) who has been a big part of your learning experience like Bernie has been for Heidi?”

– Give a quiz over material we have covered so far. (Through Chapter 10)

– Hand in quizzes and go over quiz material as a group.

– Free time can be spent reading book of choice or catching up on So B. It reading/re-reading.

Objectives: – Students will have time to re-read over material for better understand. – Students will show understanding of material.

So B. It Quiz

1.How is Heidi’s mother different from other people?2.How is Bernadette different from other people?3.What caused them to have to keep cans hidden up high, away from So B. It? 4.What did Heidi and Bernadette call their big Webster’s dictionary?5.How do Bernadette and Heidi find out that Heidi is “lucky”? Can you name any places in the story where Heidi uses her luck?6.Heidi isn’t old enough to ride the bus alone. How does she manage to buy the bus ticket, and how does she plan to get on the bus alone without being caught? 7.What is the significance of the baggy, red sweater that Bernie gives Heidi as a gift to open on the bus? 8.What lie about her “grammy” does Heidi tell Alice that makes her realize that Heidi has been lying? When Heidi tells the truth, how does this affect the rest of their time together?

Lesson 6: Chapter 12 “Again”

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “Georgia sweet wants to study psychology (to be a “shrink”) in college. What do you want to do when you graduate from high school? College?”

– Use computer and projector to show students how to create an internet wordle using Heidi’s “Things I Know about Georgia Sweet” list on page 138-139. (Students will work with this tool on their own at a later date).

– Give students any extra time to work on essay assignment or talk one-on-one about essays or any other questions they may have.

• Objectives:

– Students will learn about technology (wordle).

– The student generates and responds logically to literal, inferential, evaluative, synthesizing, and critical thinking questions before, during, and after reading the text. (KSDE)

– Students learn about characterization, and receive a visual interpretation of Georgia Sweet’s characterization through the Wordle.

Lesson 7: Characterization

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “What character in this story would you like to know or read more about?”

– Go to computer lab. Open Word and spend time listing qualities of any one character in the book. (Use journal entry character if desired.) Go to http://wordle.net. Students can now create their own characterization wordle for the person they chose to describe.

– Print and display wordles in classroom.

– *Just for fun* Students can create wordles characterizing themselves.

• Objectives:

– Students will display knowledge of use of technology.

– Students will show understanding of characterization.

– Students will have a chance to think about themselves and the characteristics they possess, making the material more meaningful to students.

– Visual learners will be reached through the visual Wordles.

Lesson 8: Reader’s Theatre

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “What kinds of books are your favorites? Why?... If you don’t like reading, why?”

– Do Reader’s Theatre(created by me) pages 146-156, when Heidi reaches Liberty, calls Bernie and gets the taxi to Hilltop.

– Discuss and compare reader’s theatre to just reading a book straight through.

– If students enjoyed reader’s theatre and there is enough time, for fun do the one provided in the back of the book.

• Objectives:

– Students will see literature brought to life through reader’s theatre.

– Students will have the opportunity to express why they do or do not enjoy reading. (Teacher will have opportunity to address student concerns and find new approaches to get students more excited about literature.)

– The student adjusts reading rate to support comprehension when reading narrative, expository, technical, and persuasive texts. (KSDE)

– Students read fluently (KSDE).

– Students comprehend a variety of texts (KSDE).

– Auditory learners will be reached by having the text read aloud.

Lesson 9: Final Chapter “So B. It”

• Students will:

– Write in journals: “How is this story’s ending a hopeful one?”

– Go over new vocabulary: bushed, aurora, foreshadowing

– Ask students to give similes for what it is like to be “bushed”. Ask students to point out examples of foreshadowing in the story.

– Have printed maps of the U.S. and trace Heidi’s journey one stop at a time. Students will get to come to the bulletin board and place pushpins in the correct places.

– Review significant events at and between each stop.

Objectives:– Students will analyze and understand the literary use of foreshadowing. (KSDE)– Students will have a chance to understand the immensity of the task Heidi

undertook by crossing the United States alone. – Students will review the story and display comprehension. (KSDE)– Kinesthetic and visual learners will be reached through the interactive road map.

Lesson 10: After Finishing the Book

• Students will

– Write in journals: “What was my favorite or most memorable part of the book?”

– Use journal as inspiration! Go to the computer lab to find at least one picture and create at least one text box of a memorable quote to print off and place on So B. It bulletin board/map (created by teacher).

– Glue picture and text to appropriate place on bulletin board

– Take final quiz over So B. It

Objectives: – Students will display comprehension of text through visual/kinesthetic activity.

(KSDE)– Students will display comprehension of text through assessment. – Students will display comprehension of text through journal entry.

Annotated Resources

1. http://www.sarahweeks.com/ Sarah Weeks’s personal web site with links to her biography and other works.

2. http://www.kerc-ks.org/ Kansas Education Resource Center. Where you can find Kansas Academic Standards and ways to make curriculum align with them.

3. http://www.wordle.net/ Technology for creating “wordles” for students to create visual characterization of people in books and themselves.

4. http://www.teachingbooks.net/author_collection.cgi?id=1&a=1 Web site for Reader’s Theatre

5. http://sarahweeks.com/blog/ Sarah Weeks’ blog where students can get in touch with the author.

So B. It Discussion Questions

1.How is Heidi’s mother different from other people?2.How is Bernadette different from other people?(pg. 8) When did this develop?(pg. 17)

3.What caused them to have to keep cans hidden up high, away from So B. It? (pg. 7)

4.What did Heidi and Bernadette call their big Webster’s dictionary?(pg 7)

5.On the way to Liberty what causes Heidi to lose contact with Bernadette? (pg. 117 or pg. 122)

6.How do Bernadette and Heidi find out that Heidi is “lucky”?(pg. 15) And can you name two places in the story where Heidi uses her luck?7.Heidi isn’t quite sure what Bernie means when she tells her not to “abuse her gift” (her luck) (pg. 17). Do you think Heidi abuses her gift in any of the instances in the book?8.Heidi isn’t old enough to ride the bus alone. How does she manage to buy the bus ticket, and how does she plan to get on the bus alone without being caught? (pg. 83-84)

9.What is the significance of the baggy, red sweater that Bernie gives Heidi as a gift to open on the bus? (pg. 56)

10.What lie about her “grammy” does Heidi tell Alice that makes her realize that Heidi has been lying? When Heidi tells the truth, how does this affect the rest of their time together?11.Name a few ways or examples where Georgia Sweet is a great “mother”/sympathetic adult for Heidi. (pg. 124, 125, 129, 135, and/or 141)

12.The first person Heidi runs into inside Hilltop Home calls her “soof”. Who does this man turn out to be? (pg. 216)

13.What is Thurman Hill wearing that lets Heidi know that he is the Santa in the picture with Elliot and her mother? (pg 213)

14.Why is Ruby convinced that Heidi “passed her luck” on to her? (pg. 241)

15.What two items does Heidi leave on her mom’s coffin before it is lowered into the ground? (pg. 237)

16.Do you think that it is better that Heidi went back to Reno to live or do you wish she would have stayed with the Franklins in Liberty? Why?17.If you were Heidi, would you be able to forgive Thurman Hill? If so, would you be able to have a relationship with him?

So B. It Quiz

1.How is Heidi’s mother different from other people?2.How is Bernadette different from other people?3.What caused them to have to keep cans hidden up high, away from So B. It? 4.What did Heidi and Bernadette call their big Webster’s dictionary?5.How do Bernadette and Heidi find out that Heidi is “lucky”? Can you name any places in the story where Heidi uses her luck?6.Heidi isn’t old enough to ride the bus alone. How does she manage to buy the bus ticket, and how does she plan to get on the bus alone without being caught? 7.What is the significance of the baggy, red sweater that Bernie gives Heidi as a gift to open on the bus? 8.What lie about her “grammy” does Heidi tell Alice that makes her realize that Heidi has been lying? When Heidi tells the truth, how does this affect the rest of their time together?

Vocabulary Words:

AgoraphobiaDiversityRitardandoRetardAuroraHandicappedLividReluctantBushedForeshadowingBraise